Chilean architectural studio Max Núñez Arquitectos has completed an innovative prefabricated steel house elevated on columns in the Sierra Nevada mountains of southern Chile. The 1,185-square-foot structure, called Casa en los Arboles (House in the Trees), sits on the edge of Conguillío National Park in the Andes and was designed to minimize environmental impact while maximizing connection to the surrounding forest.
Completed in 2023, the house is strategically located near active volcanoes Llaima and Lonquimay in an area popular for backcountry skiing through forests of araucarias, coihues, raulíes, and oak trees. The architects deliberately chose an anti-mimetic approach, creating what they describe as a "site-specific piece of technology" comparable to NASA's lunar lander.
"A house in this environment should be a super light element, affecting the vegetation around it as little as possible, generating a minimum footprint on the ground," Max Núñez Arquitectos explained. "It should be an anti-mimetic object, but a totally site-specific piece of technology like NASA's lunar lander."
The vertical, machine-like structure rises from a small forest clearing using a steel skeleton that eliminates the need to cut trees or alter the natural terrain. The prefabricated steel elements allowed a small construction team to assemble the entire house in just a few months, demonstrating efficient sustainable construction methods.
The house features three distinct levels, each with a different structural system tailored to specific functional needs. The small, rectangular ground floor is supported by four diagonal columns that branch outward to support the upper levels. This central trunk area is enclosed with translucent glass and serves as the main entry point and storage space for mountain activity equipment.
The second level extends horizontally, creating deep eaves that protect the ground level footings from snow accumulation. A perimeter lattice beam wraps around this level "like a bridge that rests over the diagonals of the lower level," according to the architects. By moving structural elements to the perimeter, the design team created space for three bedrooms and two bathrooms arranged compactly around a central staircase.
The upper level houses the main social spaces, including the living room and kitchen positioned 40 feet above the ground under an A-frame roof. The architects rotated the roof's ridgeline off-axis, setting it diagonally to open up the corners of the space and create closer relationships with the surrounding landscape and trees.
"This space gives a vantage point of the surroundings, as a watchtower detached from the ground, with a close relation to nature and the pass of time," the design team noted. The elevated position provides panoramic views of the forest canopy and distant mountain peaks.
The exterior design balances industrial materials with natural elements. Areas not covered by the steep, standing seam metal roof feature floor-to-ceiling glass windows that flood the interior with natural light. Inside, warm wood surfaces throughout the home create a striking contrast with the sleek metal structural details, softening the high-tech aesthetic.
This project represents part of Max Núñez Arquitectos' diverse portfolio, which includes both lightweight structures like a greenhouse topped with glass block vaults and heavier concrete projects such as a care home for elderly residents and an ocean-front residence with a concrete roof that runs parallel to the coastal topography. The Casa en los Arboles project was photographed by Cristóbal Palma of Estudio Palma, with architectural design led by Max Nuñez and collaborators Sonoka Nakamura, Fabian Leiva, and Stefano Rolla.
